Blog less. Write More. (Famous Last Words, by Yours Truly)
During my sabbatical, I have made a commitment to blog less and write more. So what did I do, my first Monday back in the office? I wrote a blog about the need to not post on social media on matters we know nothing about in regard to our Nazarene colleges and universities (honestly that should be our position on all things). The post was read by many people. Unfortunately soon it devolved into name calling and the comments reflecting the exact opposite of what I had just written. UGH. People.
It was a “welcome-back-to-the-real-world” moment for me. We live in a divided world. Sadly, including the church. Someone asked me to recall the days when the worst thing a Wesleyan could call a fellow believer was a “Calvinist.” Now, it seems that people are ready to toss our brothers and sisters in Christ into the fires of Hell over the slightest disagreement. We are quick to judge. Quick to anger. For all practical purposes quick to toss aside the grace that was so freely given to us. This should not be us.
Christians will not agree on everything. The Bible isn’t crystal clear on every topic. It takes prayer and discernment and sometimes some of us will get our wires crossed and come to a different opinion. It doesn’t mean that the other is totally wrong and have sold their soul to the devil. It means we simply disagree.
Sunday, I talked about how the Pharisees were the “holiness people” of the first century. Their brand of “holiness” was constantly running up against Jesus. At times, I see the same “holier-than-thou” and “holiness-as-a-weapon” brands of holiness infecting some of us in holiness traditions. We need to be very careful or Jesus will likewise refer to us as a “brood of vipers” and “white washed tombs.”
My fellow, holiness people, please let us act like it. Holiness isn’t about what you know, it’s how you live out what you know. Our world needs holy people living, posting and acting like Jesus.
My goal of a book a year will not be accomplished with days like yesterday. I need to blog less write more.
(FYI… I wrote this for the Church Board and Pastors of Central Church. Obviously, I also posted it to my blog. I know, two days in a row a blog post… so much for writing less blogs. Ugh. I have turned off the comments… not because I want to quench discussion, simply I don’t have time to monitor this today. Many blessings. And I mean it, I plan to blog less, write more.).
